⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

A historical fiction novel based on true events that did not disappoint! Pam Jenoff masterfully weaves a gripping story filled with remarkable characters, dual timelines, and alternating POVs that add incredible depth and perspective.

I love when historical fiction teaches me something new, and Last Twilight in Paris did just that! There were aspects of history I had never encountered before, making the story even more compelling.

I had the opportunity to listen to the audiobook while following along with the physical book—my absolute favorite way to read! The narration was fantastic, truly bringing the characters and emotions to life. Whether you read or listen, this is a must-read for any historical fiction fan!

Many thanks to #NetGalley & #Harlequin_Audio for the ARCs. All opinions are my own.

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I will read anything Pam writes and am always so excited when she comes out with a new book. Her stories about WWII are the best. This one centers around a department store which was used to sell confiscated Jewish goods and held woman hostage who worked there. There are several timelines but each one of them had you wanting to read more about each one and what I thought in the beginning was going to be confusing turned out to make so much sense.

Last Twilight in Paris is a dual timeline historical story with a mystery and intrigue. It's 1943 in Paris and Helaine and Gabriel are newly married and just settling in, when Germany invades France. Helaine is jewish and Gabriel is a cellist with the national symphony. When Gabriel is sent on a tour, Helaine is alone. Questioning where her husband is performing, she is arrested and sent to the Lévitan. It is a closed furniture store that is now a satellite labour camp for the transition camp, Drancy. There they are to sort the goods that have been confiscated from Jewish homes, to be sold to German officers. It is better than being in Drancy, but still a Nazi Prison. At the same time, the Red Cross is delivering care packages to prisoners in the various camps, including the ones in Germany. Louise is volunteering with the Red Cross when she meets Franny, a singer who entertains the officers and prisoners and Ian, her direct supervisor. At one point, she meets a cellist in the camp and he gives her a necklace to take to Paris and get to his wife. That night Franny is killed and Louise is sent back to Paris. The second timeline is in 1952. Louise is now married with children and when going through a box of items with the label, Lévitan, at the second hand store where she works, she finds the necklace that Franny had been given. How did it end up in England? She decides to find out who it belonged to and maybe finally get answers about Franny's death.

I really enjoy Pam Jenoff's historical fiction stories, especially when I learn something I didn't know anything about. I did go out and see what I could find about the Lévitan, but there was not much information out there. I found it extremely ironic that they used Jewish Prisoners to sort through good plundered from Jewish homes, perhaps even coming across things from their own homes. The author does a wonderful job blending the two timelines together into an excellent story. When Louise heads to Paris to get more information, she meets up with Ian, who she had feelings for when they worked together. As they try and solve the mystery, Ian disappears. Who is trying to keep Louise from solving the mystery? Did Helaine or Gabriel survive? I found the characters likable and definitely had my sympathy. They were also strong and resilient. As many people living through the war were, they were willing to do what they could to help the war effort. With a twist at the end, I was a bit surprised at how everything turned out, but it was a wonderful way to end this book on a hopeful and uplifting note.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Pam Jenoff’s Last Twilight in Paris blends historical mystery and wartime drama, following Louise, a British housewife in 1953, who stumbles upon a necklace in a secondhand shop. The charm stirs memories of her Red Cross days in Nazi-occupied Europe and the mysterious death of her friend Franny. Determined to uncover the truth, Louise’s search leads her to Paris and the dark history of Lévitan—a once-grand department store turned Nazi work camp. In a parallel timeline, Helaine, a young Jewish woman, struggles to survive in Lévitan after being separated from her husband during the German invasion. Their stories intertwine as secrets long buried surface.

Jenoff excels at weaving lesser-known history into fiction, and Lévitan’s haunting past adds depth to the narrative. However, while the dual timelines create intrigue, the pacing sometimes drags, and the characters feel distant, making it hard to fully connect with their struggles. Unfortunately, some parts of the plot felt predictable, and some moments lacked emotional weight. Still, for historical fiction fans, Last Twilight in Paris offers a fascinating glimpse into a forgotten wartime tragedy, even if it doesn’t pack the emotional punch of Jenoff’s strongest work.

** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a comp of the eBook. The opinions are my own.

“Last Twilight in Paris”, a WWII novel about a necklace found and the story behind it. Despite the fear and terror of war, this novel depicts the bravery, judgement and commitment involved in families and those they love.

Author Pam Jenoff tells the story of how Louise discovers a half heart shaped necklace in a second hand shop in a box labeled “Lévitan”, a department store used to house captives in the war. Louise feels “something”, a memory of this necklace, like she has seen in before. During the war, Louise volunteered with the Red Cross and went into Germany to deliver care packages to the camps and remembers something significant. She is determined to find out the answers that led to her best friend, Frannys death and finding the owner of the necklace. Despite being married and having 2 children of her own, she is determined to seek out the truth. A story of how love exists and the power behind it even during the worst of times.

I recommend this novel because it wraps you up in a time in which we simply can’t imagine what it would be like to live in that era. A storyline of the trials, heartache, compassion and empathy that engulfed the people of WWII. I’ve personally have never been to Paris but certainly feel the history and settings thanks to Pam Jenoff.

Inspired by the true story of Levitan, Last Twilight in Paris is a MUST READ!
The best part about reading a historical fiction book like this is the truth that underlies its story.
I read this novel as part of @authorbrendanovak Book group.

I highly recommend this as your next historical fiction novel. Published February 4, 2025
Thanks to @parkrowbooks for this eARC in exchange for my honest review

This review will be posted on Instagram under shereadswith_coffee, Goodreads, and Amazon (will tag Harlequin in all)

Pam Jenoff is a must-read author for me, and I truly enjoyed Last Twilight in Paris. Told in multiple timelines, we follow the stories of Helaine and Louise, two women connected by a necklace. Helaine is Jewish, and abandons all she ever knew when she fell in love with a cellist in the time leading up to World War II. Eventually she is imprisoned in a Nazi camp working in a home goods store, the real Levitan furniture store in Paris... and we journey through her hardship and strength of survival. Meanwhile, Louise worked for the Red Cross during the war and dealt with her own trials and tragedies during the war. Her story intersects with Helaine's in the mid 1950s when she finds a necklace that she eventually traces back to Helaine. Both women's stories were powerful and engaging. I could relate to Louise's story a little more than Helaine's, and appreciated the commentary on women's roles and purposes within the workplace and in their family. I liked her sweet husband too!

While well written, one complaint I had about this book was how neatly the story tied up at the end. This is a common complaint for WWII fiction because I don't think it captures the reality of the situation well. Nevertheless, the author's story seemed well researched and I really appreciate learning about new aspects of a familiar historical event and exploring how people were impacted in these ways.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book took me forever to read. I enjoyed parts of it which were informative, but historicals are not my favorite.

Pam Jenoff uncovers another untold story of WWII in a Paris department store that housed captured Jews. These same people were forced to sort and prepare the belongings taken from their fellow Jews to be stolen by or sold to German officers.
Louise finds a necklace that she's convinced she remembers from the war and sets out to explain how it is connected to the death of her friend. Seeking out the owner and history behind the necklace takes her from England to Paris and forces her to face her past.

I can't decide on my final rating but it's between a 3.75 and 4 stars.

I enjoyed the historical fiction and I was always drawn to books about the Holocaust and WWII. Louise's quest and determination to find the owner of the half hearted necklace captured my attention to follow her on this journey. I like that she was also rediscovering herself as she follows her heart to uncover the mystery of its connection to Fanny. I was surprised by the connection in the end as well as who the real traitor was.

Pam Jenoff wrote this historical fiction at a comfortable pace and I like following both Louise's and Helaine's side of the story. I liked how it wraps up nicely in the end. I do prefer a well rounded ending compare to an open ending. However, the chapters were a bit long for me to read but in the audio book it didn't feel as long. Overall, it was a good read.

Pam Jenoff writes an interesting story based back during the WWII era and the early 50’s It moves around in time and character. Both the current book era with Louise's unquenchable thirst for closure in finding the owner of a necklace she is sure she saw once while helping during the war. The other character was Helanie and her experiences during the Holocaust in Paris.
I both read and listened to the audio of this book. The narration done by Thérèse Plummer; Saskia Maarleveld, was better for me as a listener because the pronunciation of names and places was accurate and not my interpretation. It helped keep in the mood of each character. The book was harder to differentiate the switches from one character and era to another it it left me confused at times. The narration was done extremely well and made the story for me.
The story portrays the war-torn Paris and its atrocities to a small degree, (it was not overly descriptive that might trigger a reader), and the way it affected the folks of Paris plus the transformation that was happening to the women's place in the home in the early ’50s
I do recommend this book but caution it's not my normal type of genré and it seemed to drag for me. I could not relate at first and that is another reason I tried the audio as it kept my interest more.
I appreciate the chance to read and listen to this book this is my honest opinion. Thank you, NetGalley and Harlequin Audio, and Harlequin Trade Publishing.

This was my first Pam Jenoff novel, but it certainly won’t be my last. Jenoff masterfully blends real historical elements into the WWII-era setting of France, bringing the past to life. The story unfolds across a dual timeline, set ten years apart. We follow Helaine, a Jewish girl who falls in love with a cellist while navigating a strained relationship with her parents. Later, we meet Louise, a former Red Cross worker who discovers half of a necklace that once belonged to her best friend. Their stories intertwine with the real-life history of the Levitan department store in Paris, which was used to house prisoners during the war.

I was fascinated by this fresh perspective on WWII, shedding light on a piece of history I hadn’t known before. Jenoff weaves a powerful narrative around a lost necklace, love, and the resilience of the human spirit in the darkest of times. The novel highlights the extraordinary bravery of ordinary people who made a difference. The Last Twilight in Paris stands apart from many WWII novels with its more uplifting tone, and I highly recommend it.

This is my first book by Pam. And I loved it so much that I’m going to pick it for my Monday night June Bookclub.
It’s a historical friction novel. Written in two different time frames..
Helaine , a Jew in Paris, who gets captured and ends up a prisoner, working in a department store, where the Germans have confiscated things of value from the Jewish homes. One day she even comes across a tea set that came from her parents home.
Louise, lives in London and she’s a housewife that works in a thrift store. One day while going through one of the donated, boxes, she comes across a necklace that she is positive belong to one of her friends during the war. her friend Franny was said to have been hit by a car. But she never believed that story . This is always been on her mind and now ,she knows she just cannot let it go. She needs to find out what actually happened to her friend Franny.
I was very intrigued by the story and by the will of Louise to find out what happened to her friend. So much so that she leaves her husband and children behind and takes off on her quest to find answers.
If you like stories about the war. This is one that I’m absolutely sure that you are going to love.

Last Twilght in Paris by Pam Jenoff
Historical fiction WWII. Multiple timelines.
Louise finds a necklace in a secondhand store in London in 1953, or rather, half a necklace. The box is marked from a once glamorous department store, Leviton. She knows she’s seen the necklace before and she gets help from an old friend in trying to track down its history. The store has a dark history as being a Nazi prison location during the war. Helaine was one of the prisoners in the store. She was imprisoned when her husband was forced to play with a small group of musicians to entertain the German elite. The prisoners in the store were forced to help resell items to the Germans that were confiscated from Jewish homes.
In a mix of stories between two women, the necklace leads them both down an unexpected path.
This story is primarily about the store and Helaine from one timeline, and Louise, working backwards to find her. It’s sad and poignant and at the same time brave to try to tell the stories of the lost. I know it’s fiction but I’m also sure the story represents the situations most will never hear about.
I enjoyed the interwoven pieces that led to the connections to complete the story.
Mesmerizing.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

I loved this book so much. The dual timelines within the same war experience was so interesting and kept me so invested in the story. 5 stars

With a title like Last Twilight in Paris, this book could have been about so many different things. The way Pam Jenoff weaves the stories of these women over different locations and time frames is fantastic. You will find yourself drawn into their lives and wanting to know more. There is the mystery of the necklace, and the people who handled it, but that isn't enough to keep us reading, the personal relationships and relatability of the characters will keep you turning the pages right up to the end.

This was a slow start for me but an enjoyable WWII historical fiction with a perspective different than I have read before!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Last Twilight in Paris by Pam Jenoff!

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing for the copy of this book.
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Read if you like: dual timelines/perspectives
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The book follows two timelines, Louise in 1953 London finds a necklace that looks like the one she saw in Germany during the war and she starts tracking the history of the necklace. Then we have Helaine, a young Jewish woman in Paris, and we read about her experiences during the war.
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Overall, this book was interesting and I liked reading about Helaine's story and was curious about the mystery. Louise and Helaine did some silly things that frustrated me though, so it was hard to get into the story fully.

In her latest WWII historical fiction novel, Last Twilight in Paris, Pam Jenoff uncovers the dark history surrounding Lévitan, an upscale department store in Paris.

During the war, Louise worked with the Red Cross in Nazi-occupied Europe. When we meet her in London in 1953, she is now trying to adjust to her postware life as a housewife. While at a secondhand shop, Louise spots a familiar necklace in a box marked Lévitan and becomes convinced it’s her friend Franny’s necklace. Franny died under mysterious circumstances during the war and Louise is convinced this necklace and Lévitan are the keys to finding out what really happened to her, and becomes determined to learn the truth.

Jenoff also crafts a second timeline that is set during the war and follows Helaine, a young Jewish woman who is living in Paris when the Nazis occupy the city. She and her husband Gabriel, a talented cello player, are trying to build a life together but are forced apart when Gabriel is sent to another country in Europe to play in an orchestra for the Reich. Through Helaine, Jenoff vividly portrays the challenges of living as a Jewish woman in Nazi-occupied Paris, including how her French citizenship does not protect her from being sent to Lévitan but how her inner strength keeps her going no matter how hard things get.

So what is Lévitan’s dark history? It housed Jewish prisoners during WWII and the prisoners had to sort through and sell all possessions confiscated as Jewish families were removed from their homes.

I was thoroughly engaged by both Louise and Helaine’s stories and flew through the pages waiting to see how their stories would ultimately become connected & solve the mystery of Franny’s death.

I really liked the Last Twilight in Paris. It's the story of two women, Louise, an Englishwoman, and Helaine, a Jewish Parisian and their lives in 1943 and 1944, before & during WWII, and again in 1953. Post war, Louise works in a thrift shop and finds a donated necklace that is one half of a heart. She has seen this necklace before when she did volunteer work for the Red Cross during WWII. It starts her on a journey to find the owner. Helaine is arrested during the war and put to work in a department store that dealt in goods stolen from Jewish homes and sold to Germans in Paris, which is based on the actual department store in Paris, the Levitan. Helaine had a necklace that belonged to her grandmother that was half of a heart. Her husband, Gabriel, had the other half. He was arrested in Germany and was in a POW camp. The thing that I found the most profound about Helaine's story is that while she was working at the Levitan and wondering where her husband and her parents were, one of the other prisoners pointed out that the Germans were very intent on cataloguing all the items they were "liberating" from the Jewish households, but the people, not so much. It emphasized to me how much of WWII was basically a looting. I really enjoyed the book and it's the first I've ever read by Pam Jenoff. Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advance e-galley to review.